Laundry sorter attachment

ABSTRACT

The Present invention is the only universal attachment known, which is able to be attached to any existing laundry collection device, and allow for the presorting, separation, and maintaining of matched or grouped items throughout the wash and dry cycles without the need for repetitive matching and sorting. The invention accomplishes the desired goals of sorting, separating, mating, and preventing odor accumulation in the laundry collection bin, during the collection and storage phase of the laundry duty. Additionally, during the wash and dry cycles the present invention prevents the loss of smaller articles being laundered such as socks and hosiery and also protects more delicate articles from the machines rigorous wash cycle.  
     The User of the invention saves both real energy in terms of saving drying time, and also personal energy by cutting out the repetition of mating and sorting. Additionally, the invention at hand is extremely easy to use, and since the detachable mesh pouch components ( 15 ) of the invention hang on the inside of the laundry collection bin, the invention requires no extra external living space in addition to the collection bin that it is attached to. The present invention is inexpensive to store and manufacture, and takes up little retail shelf space, which ultimately leads to a more inexpensive product for the consumer. The Universal attachment feature of the present invention allows the owner of an existing laundry hamper to easily attach the invention to their present laundry collection device and enjoy the benefits that it provides immediately.

BACKGROUND—FIELD OF INVENTION

This invention relates to devices used to sort laundry prior to andduring the wash and dry cycles Specifically, attachments for laundryhampers or other laundry collecting devices, for the primary purposes ofpresorting, maintaining a sorted status, and loss prevention of smallerarticles throughout the wash and dry cycles.

BACKGROUND—DESCRIPTION OF PRIOR ART

Clothes hampers, Laundry bags, and other collection devices of varioustypes have been used for many years to collect and more recently to helppre-sort ones laundry. The old way of doing it either included notpresorting or sorting the laundry at all, or using compartmentalizedhampers, which still required the sorting of items which needed sortingafter the wash cycle. Inventors have created many variations that focuson the pre-sorting and separation of laundry items. Many Prior artinventions have designs, which exhibit rigidly constructed compartmentsfor the separation of items to be laundered. While the goal of immediateseparation is achieved here this methodology does not provide forcontinued separation throughout the wash and drying cycles.Additionally, this type of separation leads to an unnecessarily largeand bulky laundry collection device, that is difficult to move, andtakes up much space.

Consider the following relevant prior art:

U.S. Pat. No. 6,062,416 to Smillie (2000) features rigid inserts to keepthe desired items separate until it is time for them to be laundered.The rigid inserts are removed when it is time for washing; the laundryitems are then emptied directly into the washing machine.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,484,078 to Bronovicki (1996) features removable solidpartitions which adjust for the purpose of pre-sorting laundry items.While this accomplishes presorting the clothes must still be handledagain and emptied into the washing machine. Furthermore the adjustablepartitions exhibited by Bronovicki conform only to the accompaniedhamper, not to any others.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,057,309 to Fragale (1977) exhibits removable rigid builtin sub-containers for the purpose of pre-sorting laundry, which is laterto be dumped into the washing machine with the other contents of thecontainer.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,958,715 to Capelli (1976) features a compartmentalizedsolid construction laundry hamper with ventilation holes for the purposeof presorting laundry prior to placement in the washing machine.Although the right idea is applied here, unfortunately, the ventilationholes are inadequate for proper ventilation, allowing for only items onthe top to be properly ventilated.

U.S. Pat. No. 2,895,782 to Fragale (1959) features a plurality of opentopped containers used for the segregation and storage of soiled itemsprior to placement in the washing machine.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,690,217 to Friday (1997) features a compartmentalizedlaundry container of rigid construction for the sorting of clothes priorto laundering.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,118,173 to Proctor et al. (1992) Features internallyconstructed rigid partitions for segregated collection and storage ofsoiled items prior to the washing process.

There are many unsolved problems with the prior art inventions, whichare discussed within this application.

Such prior art inventions are cumbersome and often difficult to move.Often such prior art inventions are not purchased because they take uptoo much of a person's living space. It is clear that such prior artinventions do not keep smaller matching articles mated during the entirewash dry cycle, causing the user to sort and match these itemsunnecessarily, resulting in the user of prior art inventions spendingmore time doing laundry than is necessary. The aforementioned Prior artinventions do not have the ability to prevent the smaller items likesocks from being lost during the wash and or drying cycle. A single sockor small article of clothing is often lost when it adheres temporarilyto a larger article during removal of laundry from the washer or dryer.This can happen when a small item is wadded up amongst other wet clothescoming from the washer, and also when coming from the dryer bystatically clinging to another item. Prior art inventions, such as theaforementioned class of rigidly constructed partitioned laundrycollection devices, do nothing to prevent this. Also, the prior artinventions are difficult to assemble and require a level of skill toassemble, causing a rise in price if to be assembled prior to purchase,or costing the consumer his/her time if to be assembled by the consumer.

Prior art inventions do nothing to keep the odor filled articlesseparated from the less odiferous articles. Most simply pile the laundryall together not allowing for the necessary air circulation needed toprevent the accumulation of odors. Some us mesh bags or holes... butthey are not suspended or separated from the rest of the laundry,allowing them to breathe better, and allow for the necessary aircirculation to prevent the accumulation of odors.

Furthermore, prior art inventions in this area are not universalattachments which can be used as an inexpensive option to buying a newsorting hamper. Prior art inventions are costly to manufacture due toelaborate structure and unnecessary parts and costly to ship due toadded weight of the hamper itself, and therefore are unduly costly topurchase for the consumer. The costliness of the prior art inventionsare increased by the inability of the prior art inventions to be storedin a space efficient manor, causing them to take up unnecessarywarehouse and shelf space resulting the retailer to charge more for theprior art inventions. Shelf space and warehouse space are limitedcommodities.

Other Inventors have chosen to make use of laundry bags of variousdesigns, to achieve the ability to separate and store laundry items,which are desired separated. Please consider the following relevantprior art:

U.S. Pat. No. 5,102,208 to Joynes (1992) features a clothes containerhaving two external clothes bags at opposite ends of the hamper to beused for storing and sorting of soiled clothes prior to placement ofclothes in the washing machine. The external clothes bags take up space,which is a precious commodity in many smaller homes.

U.S. Pat. No. 2,625,973 to Weldon (1951) exhibits separate bags within ahamper for pre-sorting of laundry

U.S. Pat. No. 4,585,283 to Redmon (1986) features removable inner hamperbags to accomplish the pre-sorting of items to be laundered.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,503,476 to Hamden (1996) features a partitioned laundrybag designed and used for the purpose of sorting and storage of soileditems prior to laundering.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,979,705 to Bovitz (1990) features a plurality of bagshung on support rails and used for sorting laundry prior to it's washingand drying.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,773,585 to Lehrman (1988) features a combined laundrybag and clothes hamper, which has internal partitions to be used for thesegregation of clothes. Each partition contains a zipper at the bottomfor removal of the soiled contents of that partition.

U.S. Pat. No. 2,736,454 to McConnell (1953) features a plurality ofremovable bags, which are to be emptied into the washing machine afterthey are filled with sorted soiled laundry.

The Use of Mesh Bags to hold and sort soiled laundry is not new. U.S.Pat. No. 5,833,336 to Dean (1998) features removable mesh bag, which isspecifically designed for Dean's hamper apparatus. It is not a Universalattachment. The removable Mesh Bag is not constructed to be used in thewash and dry cycles, and therefore cannot keep items separatedthroughout these cycles, The hamper apparatus itself is prohibitivelyexpensive, large, and bulky.

All of these Prior art inventions except possibly for U.S. Pat. No.6,019,445 to Gades (1999) do nothing to keep the odor filled articlesseparated from the less odiferous articles. Most simply pile the laundryall together not allowing for the necessary air circulation needed toprevent the accumulation of odors. Some us mesh bags or holes . . . butthey are not suspended or separated from the rest of the laundry,allowing them to breathe better, and allow for the necessary aircirculation to prevent the accumulation of odors. U.S. Pat. No.6,019,445 to Gades (1999) features mesh bag like containers, which areattached to a frame that is designed to be suspended above the washerdryer units. This device does seem to separate articles of clothingprior to washing and also to do an adequate job of allowing for moreodiferous articles such as socks to remain separate from the rest of thewash while providing air circulation to keep these articles of clothingfrom accumulating odors. Gades, however is not a Universal attachment toa laundry collection device, does not keep paired articles separate fromthe rest of the laundry during the washing and drying process, isexpensive to construct, and is impractical in that it is onlyappropriately used in a laundry room due to it's intruding structure.

As a whole, the immediately aforementioned prior art inventions usingLaundry bags instead of rigid compartments to separate items are oftenlarge and bulky, difficult to move, take up too much space (notdesirable for smaller living accommodations), can be aestheticallyunappealing, and are difficult to move when full. They can also beexpensive to manufacture and store if they are simply a part of anotherlarger laundry collection unit.

Prior art inventions focusing on use of laundry bags have shown someimprovement in terms of mobility to and from the washing and dryingmachines, but have shown very limited improvement in terms of aircirculation (only in the case of larger mesh bags and not at all innon-porous bags), and cost to consumer. Such Prior art inventions do notkeep smaller matching articles mated during the entire wash and drycycles, causing the user to sort and match these items unnecessarily.The result is that the user of prior art inventions spend more timedoing laundry than is necessary.

Additionally, prior art inventions do not have the ability to preventthe smaller items like socks from being lost during the wash and ordrying cycle since the smaller items remain with the larger ones duringthe wash and dry cycles. (Often a single sock or small article ofclothing is lost when it adheres to a larger article during removal oflaundry from the washer or dryer and is lost.) This can happen when asmall item is wadded up amongst other wet clothes coming from thewasher, and also when coming from the dryer by statically clinging toanother item.

Prior art inventions do nothing to keep the odor filled articlesseparated from the less odiferous articles, they simply pile the laundryall together not allowing for the necessary air circulation needed toprevent the accumulation of odors. Some us mesh bags or holes . . . butthey are not suspended or separated from the rest of the laundry,allowing them to breathe better, and permit the necessary aircirculation to prevent the accumulation of odors.

Furthermore, like their rigidly constructed counterparts alreadydiscussed, prior art inventions in this area are not universalattachments which can be used as an inexpensive option to buying a newsorting hamper, and although cheaper than solid construction are stillprohibitively expensive. Prior art inventions are much more costly tomanufacture due to more elaborate structure and unnecessary parts andmore costly to ship due to added weight of the laundry collection deviceitself, this leads them to be more costly to purchase for the consumer.The costliness of the prior art inventions is increased by the inabilityof the prior art inventions to be stored in a space efficient manorcausing the prior art inventions to take up unnecessary warehouse andshelf space causing the retailer to charge more for the prior artinventions. Shelf space and warehouse space are limited.

Prior art inventions can either cause damage, or do nothing to preventdamage that can be done to items during the washing cycle. Bag/hampercombination Prior art inventions are difficult to assemble and require alevel of skill to assemble, causing a rise in price if to be assembledprior to purchase, or costing the consumer his/her time if to beassembled by the consumer.

The idea of laundry bags, which would allow for the presorted items tobe washed and dried separate from other items, has been a major advancefor those who do laundry. Unfortunately, until the application of thepresent invention, there have remained many problems and apparentshortcomings with this type of laundry bag, which have prevented manyfrom using these prior art inventions.

Please consider the following relevant prior art:

U.S. Design Patent 294757 to Kahane (1988) provides for multiple pocketsfor separating laundry into desired units of separation. However, due toits construction, the separating pockets are locked in tightly togetherand often back-to-back. This construction does not allow for propercirculation of water when in the washing cycle, resulting in poorrinsing, which in turn leads to soap build up within the laundry and initching for the user. Another consequence of Kahane's construction ispoor air circulation during drying in the dry cycle, resulting in longerdrying times, which uses more energy and in turn costs more money andtime to the user than would a more efficiently constructed invention.Kahane's invention is a single unit with multiple pockets; thisconstruction necessarily keeps the wet clothes within the units closetogether causing the need for more dry time due to poor airflow amongstthe various articles within the pockets.

Additionally, the Kahane invention is not a universal attachmentdesigned to have the ability to work with any laundry collection device.

Another shortcoming of Kahane, is that because of the separate pocketsbeing attached the user does not have the flexibility to wash thecontents of one pocket from those of another, as may be necessary if oneor more pockets are filled with colored articles, and one or morepockets are filled with white articles. Also, permanent press or verydelicate articles may need to be further separated, from articles ofsturdier construction so that they may be washed and or dried separatelyfrom each other, as their suggested laundering instructions indicate.Some articles are meant for the gentle cycle, while others may notrequire such care, and are better suited going through a more vigorouscycle.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,746,514 to Orensten (1998) features a large laundrycontainer of spherical shape, which is claimed to maintain it's shape tosome degree when placed in the clothes washer and drier. If used withtoday's standard home machine that has an agitator in the middle,Orensten's device seems to have inherent problems in that the devicewill need to collapse to such an extent that there will be a necessarybunching together of clothes within the bag. This leads to poor watercirculation in the washing machine. Orensten also does not solve, oraddress the problem of keeping mated items together during the wash anddry cycles. Therefore the need for this type of mating and sorting stillexists for the user of the Orensten invention. To this inventor'sknowledge, utilizing small separated compartments can only do this.Additionally, the Orensten invention is not a Universal attachment.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,224,259 to Guerra (May 1, 2001) features a large meshbag which results in too many clothes packed together, resulting in poorwater circulation in the washing machine resulting in poor rinsingcapabilities, soap build up, and all too often itching to the user.Guerra's invention has the same problem in the dryer as the other priorart-poor air circulation leading to additional drying time (Energyinefficient) only to a greater extent due to the severe wadding up ofwet clothes. Additionally, Guerra doesn't allow for the sorting, matingand/or separation of paired items previously mated. Furthermore, Guerrais not a Universal attachment.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,253,775 to Gould (1993) features a combined hamper andlaundry bag comprised of an ordinary rectangular hamper that has amedium to large sized mesh bag attached to the inside of the hamper.Gould's major shortcomings come in the design of the bag, which is toolarge to allow for adequate water and airflow during the washing anddrying cycles. Another problem with Gould's invention is that the designnecessitates that the mesh bag be pressed between the wall of the hamperand soiled clothes if the hamper is full. The mesh bag, which is meantto hold items such as socks, undergarments etc. does not provide foradequate air circulation as to prevent the build up of odors, of theseoften smelly items. Gould's invention does not allow for free airflowfor the items within the mesh bag, and results in a build up of odors inthe items within the bag. Gould does not recognize or address the needfor the items within the bag to be separate from the items within thehamper itself in order to maximize airflow and minimize odoraccumulation.

The size of Gould's Mesh bag inherently allows for more items to bepacked within it, which necessarily increases the mass within the bag.Size of Gould's mesh bag results in bunching together of wet items,resulting in difficulty in cleaning and drying of items sufficiently dueto poor water circulation, and poor air circulation in the washing anddrying machines respectively. This poor air circulation increases thetime and energy for drying the same articles that separate smaller bagscan do in less time and utilization of less energy. The size of theGould bag also causes, problems of entanglement with washing machineparts such as the agitator. Additionally, Gould's Mesh bag does notconsider, nor allow for the separation of items into mated categories.Furthermore, Gould's invention is costly to manufacture, ship, andwarehouse. Another shortcoming of Gould's invention is that it is notsuitable to be used as a universal attachment to other hampers. Goulduses a bag attachment that is proprietary (useful) to the hamper that itattaches to and no other.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,803,605 to Masi (1998) features a bag for washing anddrying of small articles, consisting of a main pocket and multiplesmaller individual pockets. A major flaw of the Masi invention is thatthe configuration of the smaller mesh bags overlapping the larger mainmesh bag inhibits water flow during the wash cycle and air flow duringthe drying cycle, as well as, air flow during the laundrycollection/storage phase, resulting in odor accumulation. The differencein washing ability and drying time is the flow of the water and air. Aspreviously discussed, this is very important.

During the laundry storage phase the poor airflow caused by theoverlapping pockets feature of Masi and others allows for theaccumulation of odors/odor buildup. The shear fact that the separatepockets do not detach, also suggests that the user of the Masi inventionwait until the bag is sufficiently full to warrant throwing the entirebag in the washing machine/dryer, or else washing a mostly empty bag,with just a few items in it. The Masi invention does not allow for theeffective separation of whites and darks. Because of the attached natureof the mesh bag pouches whites and darks within the invention must allbe washed together, resulting in possible damage to the articles ofclothing contained within.

Masi, in the prior art discussion of her application, knocked Kahane formany of these same problems, but has done little to improve upon Kahane.Masi still has a necessary 2 layers of thickness, since the main pocketis attached to the separate smaller pockets, and the volume of thelarger bag which the pockets are attached to creates a problem withbunching together of wet items within this bag, which has already beenpointed out to be a major problem during the dry cycle (time and energyis wasted).

Furthermore, A Major disadvantage of Masi's invention is that it is nota Universal attachment able to be adapted to any laundry collectiondevice. The major advantages of being a Universal attachment becomeclear in later discussion.

On the whole, large mesh bag Prior art inventions result in poor waterflow by holding too many items too closely together during the washprocess, and poor airflow, by holding too many items close togetherduring the drying process. Large mesh bag Prior art inventions have theundesirable consequences of trapping and wadding smaller items in theircorners. Prior art inventions which use a larger mesh type bagthroughout the wash and dry cycle have the problem of poor dry time andof smaller items becoming wadded up in the corners of the bag, resultingin uneven drying of enclosed articles. The wadded items take a muchlonger time to dry, often requiring intervention, and removal of theitems in order to finish the drying process. The end result is the pooruse and wasting of energy. Both the energy used by the drying machineitself (which cost real dollars), and the energy of the person doing thelaundry (In terms of unnecessary effort and time that a person uses tointervene, when the users time could be better spent.) Prior artinventions can either cause damage, or do nothing to prevent damage thatcan be done to items during the washing cycle. Large mesh bag Prior artinventions can easily have the undesirable consequence of becomingdamaged in the washing machine by the agitator, and sometimes can causelarger items within the bag to become entangled with the agitator,causing damage to the items inside, and possibly to the washing machineitself, by causing frequent unbalanced loads during the spin cycle.

The use of Large mesh bags does not allow for the separation of smallermated articles such as socks and undergarments, and the use ofinventions that have smaller mesh bags attached to larger mesh bags fallprey to the above listed shortcomings in airflow and water flow.

After a thorough investigation, to the inventor's knowledge, there is norelevant prior art that claims to be an attachment for hampers or anyother laundry collection device except for perhaps U.S. Pat. No.3,995,924 to Jones (1976). An obvious shortcoming of the Jones inventionis that it is not an universal attachment, but constructed so as toadjust only to rectangular shaped hampers, it cannot adjust/conform to around, oval or many other of today's designs.

Jones, like all of the other prior art inventions, does not keep smallermatching articles mated during the entire wash and dry cycles, causingthe user to sort and match these items unnecessarily, resulting in theuser of prior art inventions spending more time doing laundry than isnecessary.

Additionally, the complexity of the Jones invention makes it costprohibitive. There are many parts, which require manufacture andassembly, necessarily increasing the cost to be passed onto theconsumer.

As claimed and designed the Jones invention is to be used as a storagecontainer/not throughout the wash/dry cycles. The separation bagsthemselves are not constructed for use in the washer and dryer, and evenif they were they would encounter the previously mentioned problems ofpoor water flow and airflow, as does the other prior art due to the sizeand construction of the bags.

The Jones invention does little or nothing to prevent odor accumulationsince it does not allow for maximum airflow during storage. The depth ofthe separated containers allows for the smelliest of articles to remainburied, not separated, and without adequate airflow to prevent buildupof odors. To allow for maximum airflow and prevent the buildup of odorssuccessfully, the smelliest articles must be suspended, or otherwiseseparated from the mass of laundry while being stored previous towashing and drying.

To this inventors knowledge all of the relevant prior art inventions donothing to keep the odor filled articles separated from the lessodiferous articles. Most simply pile the laundry all together notallowing for the necessary air circulation needed to prevent theaccumulation of odors. Some us mesh bags or holes . . . but they are notsuspended or separated from the rest of the laundry, allowing them tobreathe better, and allow for the necessary air circulation to preventthe accumulation of odors.

To this inventors knowledge none of the relevant prior art allows forkeeping smaller mated items (such as dress socks) mated throughout allof the laundry processes' (of storage, washing and drying), and stillallows for adequate water flow and airflow resulting in the respectivebenefits of cleaner laundry, energy efficiency, and less odoraccumulation.

To present inventors knowledge there is no known apparatus available atpresent that can serve as a Universal attachment and attach to anyhamper/laundry collection device, and will allow the type of separationas mentioned.

The Present inventor recognizes the need for a device, which can act asa universal attachment to any existing laundry collection device withthe purpose of presorting and keeping sorted, and mated, items asdesired throughout storage, wash and dry cycles. The Present inventoralso recognizes that this must be achieved in conjunction with achievingmaximum efficiency in terms of energy and effort put forth by the user.The present inventor also recognizes the importance of addressing theseneeds in a simple and low cost manor. My Laundry sorter attachmentachieves these goals, and others, while improving on all prior art.

OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES

Accordingly, several objects and advantages of my laundry sorterattachment are that it can be attached to virtually any hamper, andafter an exhaustive search, is the only known existing Universal hamperattachment for the purpose of sorting, and/or mating of garments. Peoplewill not be as likely to buy a new hamper if the old one is still inoperation; but an inexpensive attachment that improves thefunctionality, and appearance of their existing hamper will beconsidered a more worthwhile investment.

Another object and advantage of my laundry sorter attachment is that itsuse saves valuable time which prior art inventions do not. When using mylaundry sorter attachment, by Pre-sorting/matching, and subsequentlymaintaining the sorted and matched status throughout the wash and dryingcycles, the user only sorts and mates articles once, as opposed tosorting before washing, perhaps again before drying, and thenmatching/mating like articles (ie. Dress socks) again after drying them.The matching and mating of like patterned socks or other patternedarticles, is perhaps the most dreaded part of the entire laundryprocess. My laundry sorter attachment allows the user to presort/matethese articles and have them remain together throughout the laundryprocess, cutting the time spent doing laundry significantly. It is ofadvantage to the user to immediately, after undressing, place anymatching articles in one of the small detachable mesh pouches, and thenimmediately seal the pouch via sealing mechanism. The articles thenremain in the pouch, suspended towards the top of collecting bin viainvention to prevent odor accumulation, until they are finished goingthrough the washing and drying process. The end result is a clean andmated pair of articles/garments ready to be put away or worn.

Yet another object and advantage of my laundry sorter attachment is thatit is less expensive to manufacture than all known prior art, making mylaundry sorter attachment more affordable to the public than prior artinventions. There are few parts and materials needed for assembly of theinvention, and those that are necessary for assembly are readilyavailable.

Additional object and advantages are that, my laundry sorter attachmentcan be collapsed to be extremely compact and is very light, making itmuch more affordable to ship than known prior art inventions. This is amajor plus for all major retailers; this feature also makes it a moreviable catalog, and/or mail order item. This feature is beneficial inany instance where the consumer bears the brunt of the shipping costs asthey “feel the sting” more when a heavier, bulkier item is being shippedto them.

Another advantage of my laundry sorter attachment, which is not readilyapparent in the prior art inventions, is that it can be easily storedand will take up relatively little warehouse space when storing, andstore shelf space when retailing, which is a major consideration forretailers.

Still another object and advantage of my laundry sorter attachment isthat it also saves energy, where other prior art inventions do not atall or to a diminished extent. The smaller mesh pouches of my laundrysorter attachment allow for better water circulation and aircirculation. The better water circulation results in cleaner clothes,and dryer clothes than with larger mesh bags since more water can movein and out during the wash process, and more out during the spin cycle,allowing for a dryer article to be placed into the dryer. The smallermesh pouches also allow for better air circulation between items than alarger mesh bag does, therefore the articles in the smaller mesh pouchesneed less drying time and use less energy to be dried in the dryer. Mylaundry sorter attachment is a plurality of separate small mesh pouches,not attached permanently to any other structure. This allows for moremovement within the respective washing and drying machines, whichresults in less bunching of wet items. Separate and detached meshpouches also allow for better air, and water circulation/flow in allphases of the laundry process (collection and storage, washing, drying).

The present inventor recognizes that the use of the smaller multiplemesh pouches allows for maximal airflow between enclosed articles.Smaller mesh pouches prevent articles within the pouches from wadding upin the corners and requiring intervention, or significantly more dryingtime, as happens with larger bags.

The present inventor also recognizes that the use of smaller multiplemesh pouches is also better during the washing process as a small meshpouch with fewer items which are able to move within the pouch arebetter cleaned because of better water flow than many items within alarger bag. Also, small multiple small mesh pouches do not encounter theproblem of becoming entangled in the washing machine, often around theagitator, that many larger bags will. This entanglement can result innot only a destroyed laundry bag and articles within, but also do damageto the machine itself, by creating an unbalanced machine during the spincycle. Smaller multiple mesh pouches avoid this entanglement problem.The small Mesh pouch helps protect and prevent articles that mayotherwise entangle themselves with other clothes or a washing machineagitator, such as longer socks and hosiery, from doing so by keepingthem enclosed in the pouch. The fact that the pouches are detached fromany larger unit also allows the user to select exactly which items areto be washed, without mixing them with other items.

Additionally, the present inventor recognizes that the plurality ofsmall mesh pouches it utilizes with my laundry sorter attachment act asway to prevent smaller garments from becoming statically charged enoughto cling to larger items, which often results in loss. Many socks havelost their mate in this very way.

My Laundry sorter attachment prevents odor accumulation. The presentinvention is attached to the top of the laundry collection device, andfunctions to suspend individual pairs of like garments away from themain clothes collection device. These smaller articles of clothing suchas socks underwear, hosiery, etc. are known to be the main source ofodors. By separating these items, and suspending them in separate meshpouches above the main laundry mass, air circulation is maximized, andodors much better controlled than with prior art inventions.

My laundry sorter attachment takes up no extra exterior space since theholding straps hold the mesh pouches inside the laundry container, animportant consideration if in tight quarters.

Still another advantage of my laundry sorter attachment over all priorart is that it can more easily be moved from one location to another.Even when full, the invention is lightweight and easily transported.

Furthermore, my laundry sorter attachment can easily be madeaesthetically appealing by placing patterns on the elastic holding band.

Other Objects and advantages will become obvious to those skilled in theart in light of the following descriptions and accompanying drawings.

SUMMARY

My laundry sorter attachment is the only Universal attachment for alaundry collection device that can sort, separate, and maintain a matedstatus for matched or grouped items throughout the wash and dry cycleswithout the need for repetitive matching and sorting. The result is asaving of significant personal time and energy during the laundryprocess for the user of my laundry sorter attachment. The added benefitsof features for the prevention of odor accumulation and garmentprotection result in a more odor free laundry collection process and asafer wash and dry cycle for delicates. Socks and other smaller laundryitems, that are prone to loss during the laundry duty, are not subjectto loss when my laundry sorter attachment is used since these items arepaired within the closable mesh pouch components of my laundry sorterattachment. My laundry sorter attachment is attractive, takes up noadditional external space, inexpensive, lightweight and extremely easyto use.

DRAWING FIGURES BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a side view of the invention at the point that theinvention connects together to form a continuous loop attachment.

FIG. 2 shows a side view of the invention, not to be limited by numberof mesh pouches, as this can vary.

FIG. 3 shows an enlarged view of the buckle attachment device

FIG. 4 shows a side view of the invention as attached to a collectiondevice (labeled A)

FIG. 5 shows a side view of the Mesh pouch as attached to the connectingstrap.

The numbers and letters within the drawing figures represent as follows:

A. Clothes Hamper or any other collection device that the invention isto be attached to.

B. Contents of the mesh pouch

11—Elastic band (or similar material) that can be adjusted to fit theoutside of a container or collecting device.

12—A Connecting strap of material (ie. Nylon) for connecting the meshpouches the Elastic band.

13—The Receiving end of a buckle attachment, used to join the two endsof the band together around the collecting device.

14. The Protruding end of the buckle attachment, which locks into thereceiving end of the buckle to form a continuous band attachment aroundthe collection device.

15—A Mesh pouch, whereas more fully described within the application.

16—A Holding loop, which slides freely around the band, and is used tohold any extra slack band after adjust to fit the collection device.

17—Velcro or other means of temporary attachment, which allows for themesh pouch to be removed from and re-attached to the connecting strap ofmaterial (#12) at will.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION/DRAWINGS

Referring now in detail to the drawings, and in particular to FIG. 1.

There is shown an elastic band 11 which forms a continuous loop aroundthe collection device A when the receiving end of the interlockingbuckle attachment 13 is joined with the protruding end of theinterlocking buckle attachment 14. The connecting strap 12 ispermanently affixed to the band 11 via any permanent affixing methodsuch as sewing connecting strap 12 directly to the band 11. Theconnecting strap 12 is temporarily affixed to the mesh pouch 15 allowingthe mesh pouch 15 to be attached and unattached to the connecting strap12 at will. Attached directly and permanently to the top back side ofmesh pouch 15 and the front bottom side of connecting strap 12 is theVelcro or other means of temporary attachment 17. Holding Loop 16 is afree sliding loop that holds any extra slack of band 11 after theinvention has been attached to collection device A.

FIG. 5 shows the contents B of mesh pouch 15. Mesh bag 15 is able to beclosed and opened at will via a temporary sealing method such as azipper, snap, or other equivalent temporary sealing method.

Operation—Main Embodiment

The attachment and use of the invention at hand is as follows:

The attachment of the Invention at hand is done by stretching band 11around the top rim of container A as shown in FIG. #4 of the drawings,and connecting the receiving end of the buckle attachment 13 to theprotruding end of the buckle attachment 14 to form a continuous looparound the top of collection bin A. The Buckle Mechanism allows for theadjustment of the said band, thereby allowing said band to conform tovarious size collection containers. The elastic material should bestretched enough so as to allow a snug fit to the laundry collectiondevice to be attached to. The Holding loop 16 being used to hold anyslack of the elastic band 11. The attachment is so attached so that theMesh Pouches 15 are hanging to the inside of the collection bin A, as isthe case in drawing #4 allowing the said pouches 15 to hang freelyseparated from the rest of the items within the collection bin A. Thearticles of clothing (ie. a mated pair of patterned socks) desired to beseparated and sorted from the rest of the laundry is placed into one ofthe mesh pouches 15, which are hanging from the band 11 via a connecterstrap 12. The Mesh Pouch 15 is then closed via a chosen closingmechanism such as a snap, Velcro, zipper, etc. so as to keep the itemscontained within from escaping during the wash and dry process.

As previously mentioned, the Mesh Pouch 15 is connected to a connecterstrap 12 via a temporary fastening means such as Velcro. When it is timefor the desired article to be washed the mesh pouch 15 is easilyunattached from the Velcro on the connecting strap and placed in to thewasher and dryer respectively. After the wash and dry cycles arecomplete, the contents are removed from the mesh pouch 15 completely dryand still mated. The Mesh pouch 15 is then re-attached to the connecterstrap 12 , which is still attached to the band 11. The Mesh Pouch 15 isready for the next desired article to be placed into it.

Considerations

The holes in the mesh pouch 15 should be large enough to permit adequateair and water flow, but small enough to prevent small articles ofclothing such as socks from escaping through the holes.

Multiple hanging mesh pouches 15 allow for multiple mated/matchedarticles to be washed and stored simultaneously.

Conclusion, Ramifications, and Scope

Accordingly, the reader will see that the Present invention is the onlyknown existing universal clothes hamper attachment for the purpose ofsorting, and or mating of garments. It can be attached to any clothescollection device. My laundry sorter attachment improves the appearanceand functionality of the collection device that it is attached to, andsaves valuable time for the person in the house who does the laundry bypre-sorting/matching articles of clothing, and maintaining the sortedand matched status throughout the washing and drying cycles. The userneeds only sort and mate once, as opposed to sorting before washing,perhaps again before drying, and then matching and mating articles (ie.dress socks) again after drying them. My laundry sorter attachment thuscuts the time doing laundry significantly.

My laundry sorter attachment also prevents odor accumulation by liftingand separating. The invention lifts and suspends the smelliest articlesaway from the general mass of laundry during the collection/storingprocess, allowing for better air circulation, and preventing a build upof odors.

My laundry sorter attachment is less expensive to manufacture, due toreadily available and inexpensive parts needed for assembly of theinvention. This results in a more affordable product than previouslyknown.

My laundry sorter attachment is also lightweight, easy to assemble,cheap to warehouse, inexpensive to ship, and compact so it takes up verylittle retail shelf space. All of these factors make the iteminexpensive for the consumer, and more profitable for the retailer.These factors also make my laundry sorter attachment a more viable mailorder item than, heavier/bulkier items.

My laundry sorter attachment saves personal energy by making the entirelaundry process easier and quicker for the user, and also actual energyby cutting down on drying time significantly. The present inventionhelps protect the items within it from becoming damaged by the machine,and also by preventing the items from becoming lost. Smaller articles ofclothing such as socks have a mysterious way of disappearing bystatically cling to another item and dropping off somewhere else tonever be found, or by being swallowed up by the washing machine itself.My laundry sorter attachment prevents such common occurrence.

Furthermore, my laundry sorter attachment is extremely space efficientfor the user, since it is hung on the inside of the laundry collectiondevice, a very important consideration for tight quarters. Additionally,my laundry sorter attachment is easily moved due to its detachablefeature and it's lightness of weight. An important consideration if theuser is disabled, feeble, or otherwise unable to manage heavy bulkyobjects.

Additional Ramifications

The preferred embodiment of my invention is for the elastic type band(which adjusts amount of slack by use of a buckle apparatus) to stretcharound the outside of the laundry collection device, but if thecollection device that the invention is being attached to is not ofrigid construction then the use of clips (similar to alligator clips, orordinary clothes pins) or another fastening means may be used to attachthe elastic band to the collection device. In this case the band may bemore easily clipped to the inside of the hamper depending on design ofthe non-rigid collection device.

The present invention should not be limited to its main embodiment andis able to be used in many other ways. Alternative embodiments mayinclude A way for extra empty mesh bags to be placed one in front of theother for storage purposes, until they are filled, and sealed, and thendropped into the general laundry container. Slightly larger bags may beused to accommodate larger matching pairs of items. Specialized designbags may be used for baby items. For example, the elastic strap couldbear a more appealing baby design (e.g. little cuddly animals, etc.) Thepreferred embodiment is as an attachment; but the invention could bepermanently affixed to an existing structure/product at a very low costwho is licensed to do so.

Alternatively, it can be hung in a closet for similar purpose of holdingand sorting laundry items, or any other closeted item. Travelers coulduse the invention or a modification of it in a suitcase to hold andseparate items. It should be clear that the invention could be used formany other purposes with slight and insignificant modifications, such assize, material, shape, color, etc. The attachment of the invention toanother object other than mentioned, or it's use in another way, shouldbe obvious to one skilled in that art and should be considered withinthe scope of the appended claims.

While the fundamental and novel features of the invention have beenshown and described, it should be understood that various substitutions,modifications, and variations may be made by those skilled in the artwithout departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, thescope of the invention should be determined by the appended claims, andtheir legal equivalents, rather than by the examples given. Accordingly,all such modifications, or variations are included in the scope of theinvention as defined by the following claims:

1. What is claimed is in combination an apparatus comprising: a. anelongated band of sufficient length to be able to be adjusted to fit theoutside of a container b. a means for attaching said band around saidcontainer c. A plurality of porous pouches large enough for thecontainment of a few items, but small enough so as to adequately allowfor air movement and water movement throughout said pouch and it'scontents. d. a Means for closing said pouches whereby the contents arecontained during the wash and dry cycles. e. a means for connecting saidpouches to said band
 2. The band of claim 1 wherein, said band is of anelastic or equivalent stretch material allowing a tight fit around thecollection device
 3. The attachment device in claim 1 wherein saidattachment device has a male end and a female end that interlock to makethe band of claim 1 continuous.
 4. The attachment device of claim 3further including a slotted buckle like feature which allows for theadjustment and tightening of said band of claim
 1. 5. The band of claim2 having a looped feature that holds the slack of said band after theattachment of said band to the collection device.
 6. The Pouches ofclaim 1 wherein said pouches resemble or replicate a mesh woven patternhaving holes large enough to allow sufficient air and water flow throughthem, but small enough to not allow escape of the articles containedwithin
 7. The means for connecting of claim 1 being permanently affixedto said band of claim one.
 8. The means for connecting of claim 7,further including a temporary fastening mechanism on the end that is notpermanently attached to said band of claim
 1. 9. The Pouches of claim 6further including a snap, Velcro, keyhole, or other temporary, butstrong closing means.
 10. The pouches of claim 9 being made of nylon oran equivalent material, which does not absorb water readily, driesquickly, and is of tough construction.
 11. The Pouches of claim 10further including a temporary fastening means located on the back sideof said pouches, enabling said pouches to be attached and detached fromthe connecting means of claim
 8. 12. The Means for connecting of claim 8said pouches of claim 11 to said band of claim 5, wherein the saidconnecting means is a strap of material long enough to allow suspensionof the pouches inside the collection device, but short enough to keepsaid pouches near the top of said collection device.
 13. The means ofconnecting of claim 12, wherein said connecting means is a strap ofmaterial being made of nylon or a substantially equivalent material. 14.The Means for connecting said pouches of claim 11 to said connectorstrap of claim 12, wherein said pouches attach to the connector strapsfastening mechanism via a corresponding fastening mechanism located onthe back side of said pouches.
 15. The temporary fastening mechanism ofclaim 11, wherein, said fastening mechanism is Velcro tm, or it'sequivalent, keyhole, or other temporary means of attachment, which ispermanently affixed, to the backside of the pouch.
 16. The connectingmeans of claim 14, further including a receiving Velcro tm, or othermeans of attachment, wherein said receiving Velcro or other means ofattachment must be located on the said connector strap of claim 14 sothat the connector strap forms a temporary fastened state to the saidpouches so that the pouch can be attached when desired and the pouch canbe removed when desired.